New Beginning and Friends
by saikouXP
Summary: Stellar is given a place to stay in Orb after the events of Gundam Seed Destiny. Although everyone tries to help her adjust to her new life, only one brunette can save the day! Pairing: Kira X Stellar
1. Chapter 1

Summary

Stellar is given a place to stay in Orb after the events of Gundam Seed Destiny. Although everyone tries to help her adjust to her new life, only one brunette can save the day!

Pairing: Stellar x Kira

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Stellar stood and watched silently as the cars passed by her. She was dressed in an indigo blue winter jacket with thin, grey fur trimmings on her sleeves. The oversized, indigo blue hood was up and over her head. Thick, grey fur trimmings lined the hood that rested on her forehead, leaving only a small, narrow sight of her swept down bangs, and hair that lightly rested on her shoulders. Black, cotton winter pants tightly covered her slender legs. She wore tall, light grey winter boots that went with her legs perfectly.

An irritated look was on her as she waited for Shinn who was nowhere to be seen. Although to those who didn't know her, they would only see a face of childlike innocence. Only those who truly knew her would notice the other emotions.

She shifted herself uncomfortably as the wind picked up. It was a cold evening. With innocent eyes, she stole a quick look at one of the massive electronic billboards across from her, noticing it was _7:30 pm_.

_Shinn, _she remembered it was he who had called her out.

Calmly, she looked around her surroundings for any sign of him, but could only see pedestrians crowding the streets and cars slowly moving by. It wasn't night yet, as the sky was still grey although it was getting darker with each passing minute. Neon lights, blinking lights, billboards, and advertising screens from the surrounding buildings shined brightly in the grey, dark, overcast sky.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard someone yell her name.

"Stellar!"

She quickly turned to the direction of the voice and saw Shinn running towards her. She gave him a gentle smile and waited until he finally reached her, fully exhausted.

"Why is Shinn late? Did something happen to Shinn?" Stellar asked in that curious voice and innocent voice of hers.

Having regained his breath, Shinn pulled her into a hug and whispered softly, "Sorry Stellar, sorry for making you wait, I…" He looked away, not wanting to tell her what had kept him. A part of him wanted to tell her the truth, but he didn't want her to take it the wrong way.

"What did Shinn have to do?" Stellar had a curious nature and always felt compelled to ask questions, although it annoyed her friends sometimes. She couldn't help it this time as she let her curious side take over. She felt like Shinn was getting distant from her for some reason, and it worried her. Shinn was the one who always there for her in the past. During the Second Bloody Valentine War, Shinn was the one who cared for her and spent time with her. She remembered the time when she had been captured by ZAFT and was in the infirmary of the Minerva. During that time, Shinn made sure the doctors weren't giving her the wrong drugs to kill her, he brought her food each day and night, stayed by her bedside, and even slept by her bedside. To her, he was a protective angel. Then when Shinn rescued her from the Destroy Gundam, she realized she had fallen in love with him. That day, she told him how she really felt about him. It was the best feeling she had ever experienced.

Shinn was about to answer when he noticed how cold her body felt against his, causing his worry for her to ignore her question. Releasing her from the hug but holding on to both her hands, he stared into her eyes.

"Aren't you cold, Stellar?"

"Stellar is feeling very cold, and Stellar can't feel her face."

Shinn inwardly sighed at how stubborn she could sometimes be. She could've at least waited inside the store behind her that had a huge display window. But then again, Stellar was always like this. She was always there for her friends, and never went back on promises.

"Come on, let's go to Starbucks and warm up."

Stellar didn't reply, but nodded and wrapped her arm around Shinn's, pulling closer to him. She couldn't help but wonder why Shinn was acting like this. He usually shared his feelings with her and she would do her best to comfort him. He would also do the same with her. She tried to think of reasons Shinn would suddenly behave this way toward her but none came to her mind.

They made their way into the coffee shop and Stellar sat down while Shinn went to order food. She pulled down her indigo hood, revealing beautiful, fluffy, yellow hair that framed a very innocent face. But she -kept her indigo jacket on to keep herself warm. Looking around her, she realized she hadn't been here too often before. It had an enticing coffee scent in the air. The atmosphere was warm, she noticed due to the yellow lights, light brown wall paint, and of course the warm smell of coffee.

A few minutes later, Shinn came back with a whole tray of food and two cups of coffee, to Stellar's delight. A childish grin crept up to her face and she started to grab the bread to eat when she remembered.

"Why was Shinn late?" she asked, placing the bread back on the tray.

"Stellar…there's something I have to say," he paused to gather his thoughts. "I'm dating Luna now."

He hung his head down and let the silence take over so that she could take in the meaning of his words. He felt ashamed of himself. It wasn't like it was entirely his fault. He really thought that Stellar had died, and so he moved on with his life. Then his feelings towards Luna started to grow during the final battle of the last war. The end result was dating Luna after the war.

Not hearing a word from Stellar, he looked up at her.

Her head was down in a position similar to his just moments ago, but he could faintly make out the traces of tears coming down her face. Stellar may be a bit challenged, but she was smart enough to understand what he meant by those words.

She lifted her head so that she faced him directly. With the light above her, he could see her shiny magenta eyes swirling with tears. Her smile was gone and replaced with a quivering pout that only made him feel even worse. "Shinn please don't leave me… I still like you," she felt like tearing up right now.

He didn't know what to say next. This was an uneasy situation, and he didn't want to make it worse than it already was. He knew he had to carefully choose his words.

"I-I don't like you that way anymore. We can still be friends though."

When Stellar didn't respond, he got up and gave her a reassuring hug, hoping that she understood his support for her. It surprised him how cold her body was even though they had entered the cafe for some time now. Shinn got the next biggest shock of the day when Stellar suddenly rose from her seat, her face down and looking away from him.

"S-Stellar understands…and is sorry for the trouble."

Having said that, she calmly walked towards the entrance, swung the door just wide enough to fit her, and walked through without looking back at him.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

Hello reader! This is my first story, and I'm happy to post it ^_^. I stopped because I'm not sure if this is any good or not, or if anyone is interested in reading this. Please leave a review :D


	2. A New Friend

Author's Note:Thanks for all your reviews in Chapter 1, they were really helpful :D I'm a Kira/Lacus fan as well, but I think this pairing has the potential to actually work out. Sorry for the super long delay in updating this story, getting the character interaction right was tough so I spent a lot of time fixing things up. Also, I was busy with real life... Anyways, I hope you enjoy this second chapter. Reviews are welcome whether you liked it :) or didn't like it :( I can always use some help to improve my writing skills and some compliments on what I did well. I'll keep this short so you can get reading. Enjoy! -Saikou

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**Chapter 2**

Stellar was cold. The moment she stepped outside into the night, the fowl wind blasted against the side of her face. As if her night couldn't get any worse, it seemed like the sky was against her as well. She thought about what she should do now. But being focused on her loneliness, she couldn't think of anything. Home was an option, but returning home after her breakup felt like she just wasted her entire day. She wanted to get away from the place where she was now. Taking a step, she found herself walking down the street and blending herself with the night crowd. All the while, tears streamed down her face which she didn't bother to wipe. Even though she didn't want it to happen, her thoughts were entirely concentrated on Shinn at the moment.

That was until she bumped into someone, causing her to look up. That person calmly turned around and through watery eyes, she noticed he had dark brown hair. He looked vaguely familiar but couldn't quite figure out who it was.

"Stellar?"

Not hearing a reply from her, said person continued, "Stellar it's me, Kira."

Poor Stellar, whose eyes were so teary that she couldn't even see who it was. She gently wiped away her tears before looking back up and finding gentle, lavender eyes. It took a few seconds, but realization eventually dawned on her, causing her to chirp his name, "Kira!"

He was dressed in a grey, dark overcoat along with a blue scarf snugly tied around his neck. Near the bottom of his overcoat, one could make out a pair of black jeans that casually flared out in a boot-cut fashion. The shoes were a combination of a black, blue, and white design.

Kira took notice of her sad expression, causing his eyes to shift worriedly momentarily. He knew that he didn't know her too well even though they had met along with everyone else after the Second Bloody Valentine War, but he felt compelled to ask her.

"Stellar is something the matter?" He wasn't close to her, not like Shinn anyhow. But in any case, those were the only words he truly felt like saying to her right now.

With tears coming back, Stellar hugged Kira suddenly and buried her face in his chest, not wanting him to see her like that.

"Stellar...Stellar can't..."

"There there, don't worry," said Kira as he tried to calm her down by stroking her hair.

"Stellar can't take it anymore, Shinn doesn't like Stellar anymore, Stellar doesn't know anymore..." she said as she continued to cry. She said some other things too, but Kira couldn't hear it because she kept talking in a softer and quieter voice as if she didn't even know he was there anymore.

Kira didn't really know what to do right now. _Wow it must be pretty bad_, he thought. He could feel the pressure as people started staring at him and Stellar. Then he remembered how Lacus would take care of the orphans back at the orphanage. She would hug them in her arms while singing one of her songs. When they finished crying, she would offer them to a treat to help them feel better. Kira knew that he could do the second part easily, but how could he do the first part if he couldn't sing? But he also remembered that Lacus would sometimes say comforting words to the children instead of singing. Taking his other free hand while the other continued to stroke her hair, he pulled her closer to him and rested his chin on her head.

"Stellar, I'm not sure what's troubling you, but I promise to be on your side no matter what." Seeing her calm down a bit, Kira knew he was doing the right thing. He continued, "I'm here for you right now, so please don't be afraid. You can tell me anything really." He continued to stroke her hair as he thought of what else he could say. "There's nothing to be worried about. We're your friends. All of us are. Even if we're not always around, we care for each other because we're friends." It seemed to be working because Stellar's sobs were getting lighter and lighter by the second.

Somehow, Kira knew that Stellar just needed time. So for the next few minutes, no words were said as he continued to embrace her.

When Kira saw that she was done crying, he gently pushed her away so that he could take in her expression. Even though she was staring back at him a sad face, at least she had stopped crying. But something wasn't right.

"Stellar?"

No reaction.

"Stellar?

Still no reaction.

Stellar! STELLAR!" Kira shouted while grasping her shoulders to try and shake her back to the present.

Seeing life return to her eyes, Kira gave an inward sigh. "Are you okay?" he asked, to which Stellar just nodded.

Satisfied with her response, he let go of her. "Here, take this," said Kira as he searched his pockets for a pack of tissues and handed it to Stellar. After Stellar finished wiping her face, Kira asked, "I'm feeling some ice cream right now, want to come with me?" Stellar didn't know what he meant by "feeling", but she wanted to go with him, so she just nodded.

They made their way across the street to the nearby Orb Memorial park (the same park where everyone finally met each other after the Second Bloody Valentine War to lay their flowers). At first Kira went too fast, so he slowed down just enough so that Stellar could fall into step with him. The park was large and popular amongst families and couples who often liked to stroll there at night. The main reason was because there was actually an ice cream truck inside the park. Needless to say, it made great business every night.

As they walked up towards the truck, which luckily there wasn't a long lineup, Kira already knew what he wanted, but he didn't know what Stellar wanted.

"There's green tea, chocolate, strawberry, mango, blueberry, cantaloupe, cherry, grape, green apple, honey, kiwi, lemon, lychee, orange, passion fruit, peach, pineapple, plum, pomegranate, raspberry, red apple, red plum, Taiwan plum, yogurt, watermelon, peach, red bean, coconut, taro, honeydew, almond, original, caramel, mint chocolate, mandarin orange. Which flavour do you want?" asked a somewhat exhausted Kira has he read the menu off the ice cream truck.

He turned to Stellar expecting a reply, but was only met with a confused expression on her innocent-like face. Kira couldn't help but stifle a small laughter at seeing her like that.

"Blue."

"Huh? What was it you wanted?" Kira thought he misheard her while he was trying not to laugh.

"Stellar wants blueberry," she said timidly.

"Alright, by the way it somehow suits you" commented Kira as he mentally noted her choice.

_I wonder why she became nervous all of a sudden_, Kira thought. But he decided against asking her.

As Kira went up to order, the old man who owned the ice cream truck recognized him since Kira often walked with Lacus here in this park.

"Kira, great to see you here again. Chocolate and Strawberry, I presume?"

Kira chuckled, "Not quite, Chocolate and Blueberry."

This took the old man by shock. "You don't mean..."

"No, of course not, we're still together, so keep it down," hushed Kira. "Besides, I never come with a date in an overcoat. This one's for a friend I haven't met in some time." Couples often had their flavours memorized by the old man. So if the pair of flavours was different, it meant a couple had broken up.

"Are you sureee? She looks quite the looker" teased the old man.

"Yes, now hurry up old man," Kira said, causing the old man to stop his teasing. _Two can play at this game, _he chuckled inwardly. He knew the old man never liked to be referred as 'old man'.

Meanwhile, Stellar was intently waiting and watching Kira order ice cream. There was something about seeing Kira that made her feel safe and calm. That everything would turn out fine because he was close by. She didn't know what this feeling was, but she liked it and was grateful that he was here right now. As the minutes passed by while she waited and watched, she could feel herself going back to normal again.

Kira finally returned with the two ice cream cones in his hands, and handed one to Stellar.

"Thanks Kira!" said Stellar as she smiled back at him.

"Hey don't mention it, you're my friend." Inwardly, he hoped that the ice cream would help Stellar become happy again.

The two made their way to an empty bench just a short walk away from the ice cream truck and sat down, eating their ice cream in silence as they watched the stars above in the night sky. Kira was the first to break the silence.

"So are you feeling better now?" asked Kira, to which Stellar happily nodded, "Stellar is feeling much better now thanks to Kira."

Kira gave a soft chuckle at that point, causing Stellar to turn to him briefly. _So ice cream does work, note to self: thank Lacus afterwards._

"Stellar, have you ever been to this park before?" He thought that might be the reason why she didn't know which flavour to pick at first.

"Yes, Shinn brought Stellar here a few times. But Kira is the first to buy ice cream for Stellar," she added. "Stellar is really grateful."

_What a cheap-ass!_ thought Kira. _So that explained why she was so nervous back there._ _It was the first time that someone offered her ice cream because Shinn would never buy it for her. _ So he tried to think of something to cheer her up again. "Well if you want more ice cream, you know where to find me," he chuckled. That also caused Stellar to laugh a bit, although for her, she almost dropped her ice cream cone in the process. "Kira makes good jokes," she said with a giggle.

Another thought came to Kira's mind and that was about what happened earlier. _What had Shinn done to her that made her tear up like that? What did she mean by "Shinn doesn't like Stellar anymore"?_ But he knew it was still too soon to ask her since she only just recovered. He decided to store the question at the back of his mind for another time. Now is definitely not the time, he thought to himself. Kira also felt bad at how he had almost succeeded in killing Stellar during the last war, and felt even worse that even after the war, he hadn't made any effort to become a close friend of hers. _Have I really gotten that out of touch with reality after the war? Have I overlooked my friends just because I had a lot of power with the Strike Freedom? _ He had some additional thoughts but was snapped back to the present by a soft tap on his right shoulder. He quickly turned around and realized that it was just Stellar who had already finished her ice cream cone, and had fallen asleep on him. I hope the old man doesn't see this, he thought. Turning his head the other way to the ice cream truck, he saw the old man give him a smile and thumbs up. _Sneaky old man..._ he thought to himself.

He decided to call it a night, and carry Stellar back home. Except there was one problem. He didn't know where she lived.


	3. Supermarket

Author's Note: I'm glad you all liked chapter 2. Well, I assumed so because no one said otherwise :D On another note, have you seen the new image loader? I used it to update a cover image for this story. It's up there at the top of this page actually. I think that picture conveys Stellar in my story so that's why I put it up there. If you don't think so, forget what I just said xD. Anyways, without further ado, hajime!

Disclaimer: All characters belong to sunrise for creating the GSD series. I do not own any of the names mentioned in this story.

**Chapter 3**

Kira couldn't help but stare as Stellar slept on his shoulder. She looked so peaceful with her eyes closed, the way her fluffy, yellow bangs swept down her forehead and hair that softly hung just above her neckline.

He wondered what he could do since he didn't know where she lived. He thought of calling Shinn but decided not to in case she wasn't ready to see him again. Looking at his watch, he noticed it was already 9:30 p.m. He didn't want to wake her up, considering how peaceful she looked compared to a while ago. Glancing at the ice cream truck, he saw the old man beginning to pack up as he served the last few customers. He knew it was time to head back with night having already fallen. The park wasn't exactly safe during the night, not with the recent grisly murders that had the Orb Police Force scrambling for answers. It was in the news the other day. Innocent people were targeted and if they didn't give up their possessions, they were beaten to a pulp. It reminded him of a certain anime he saw in a store selling pirated movies. What was the name? Oh right it was Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni. He shuddered as the video played in his mind.

Quickly brushing those thoughts aside, he carefully pushed Stellar off.

"Stellar are you awake?"

No response.

A bit sad that she hadn't replied, he did what he had to do and shook her casually. "Stellar?"

Tired eyes slowly opened and met his gaze, causing him to grimace inwardly at what he had done.

"Here get on my back." Kira turned around and knelt down in front of her, hoping she would get on.

Stellar slowly got up and sleepily latched onto Kira. Her arms wrapped around him and her head rested on the back of his shoulder.

"Hold tight alright?" said Kira. He suddenly felt a gentle squeeze, causing him to look at her, but she was already asleep again. He decided to take her to his place at the orphanage. He figured that even if he called Lacus to ask where Stellar lived, he wouldn't want to wander the streets trying to find her place late at night.

* * *

Back at the orphanage, Lacus had just finished getting the children to sleep. Taking one last glance at the sleeping figures, she quietly slipped out the door and closed it behind her. She made her way down the stairs and wondered if Kira had gotten back yet. Seeing a light in the living room, she hurried her pace.

But her hope dimmed when she saw that it was just Mu and Murrue.

Mu was busy reading a battle journal that supposedly belonged to him during C.E 71. Murrue had retrieved them from the Archangel's computers. She had hoped it would help Mu to regain his memories. Murrue, meanwhile was enjoying a sip of coffee as she read the newspaper in her hand. Even though the war had ended with a peace treaty between the Earth Alliance, Orb, and ZAFT, there was still a lot going on to repair the damage, and to mend the broken relations between the three factions. As a result, there was a lot of political activity going on ever since the war had ended. _Orb Aims for Withdrawal from the EA, United Factions Committee Formed, ZAFT and OMNI Forces to hold Joint Training Exercises, _and _EA Seeks Out Remaining LOGOS Members, _were all the titles on the front page.

"Is Kira back yet?" Lacus asked, with slight worry in her voice.

"No we haven't seen him come through there if that's what you mean," answered Mu, where he pointed his finger at the front door. This caused Murrue to give him a look that said _Why did you have to say that?_

"Here sit down," Murrue gestured to the open seat beside her, across from where Mu sat.

Lacus nodded and sat down beside her.

Murrue could sense her insecurity right now. "I'm sure he's fine Lacus. Kira would never leave without telling us beforehand. Besides, he cares too much for a certain someone," she said and nudged Lacus. She was hoping that Lacus would respond positively to her comment, but Lacus only remained silent.

"Kira should be back by now, but he isn't," said Lacus.

Murrue suddenly found herself in an awkward moment as Lacus remained silent, and Mu just plainly ignored the two as he kept reading.

"Well, has he tried calling you or sent any text messages?"

Lacus shook her head. "There's nothing from him. And I think his phone is off, I can't reach him for some reason."

Strange, thought Murrue. Kira was a punctual person, and that meant he never forgot to recharge his phone. Nor would he forget to bring it with him when he left the house. Also, he would always call if he were to come home late.

"Don't worry, that kid doesn't go down easily. Trust me, I've fought against him once before," said Mu who suddenly spoke up. "In fact, I think he's just outside walking up the stairs right now."

This earned him a quizzical look from both females. Unbeknownst to them, Mu was a Newtype. He had a sixth sense that could tell him of any various changes regarding people in his surroundings. But something was different. Aside from Murrue and Lacus, he detected not one but two beings in his presence. One was dominant, pure, and soothing. But it was… The other was soft, playful, and carefree, but it was tainted with fear, anger, and doubt from within.

As if on cue, a gentle knock sounded from the door.

Lacus and Murrue looked at Mu but he only shrugged. Everyone had the same question in their heads. _If that was Kira, he wouldn't have to knock. So who was it?_

Another knock sounded, followed by a shout, "Is anyone home?"

Having recognized the voice, Lacus rushed to the door before anyone else could react. She quickly flicked the switch for the door lamp, adjusted her hair, and opened the door.

Lacus was about to jump out and give him a hug. But she hesitated upon seeing the blonde that was latched to her Kira, causing her expression to turn stern and cold as she stared at him. "Kira…" she said.

Kira knew he was in trouble once he caught Lacus' expression and her tone of voice. "Lacus," said Kira warmly in an effort to calm her down. He hoped Lacus wouldn't take it the wrong way, though he had to admit, it looked pretty bad with Stellar nestled into shoulder. "I've got Stellar with me, she's actually hurt," he continued. His eyes pleaded with hers, waiting for her reaction. _Please, please, don't take this the wrong way._

Lacus mentally scolded herself for jumping to conclusions, and for not recognizing Stellar behind the blonde hair. Like Kira, she knew who Stellar was, but had lost contact with her after they met at the Orb Memorial after the war. "I'll get the medical supplies!" She quickly turned around and ran down the hallway to the supply cabinet.

"Lacus wait!" yelled Kira in a hushed voice, not wanting to wake up Stellar or the children who were sleeping upstairs. But Lacus was a longshot away already, so he gave up and entered the house, using his leg to close the door behind him.

"Hey kid so you're finally back." Mu did a double take when he saw that Kira was carrying Stellar, and put away his journal to stand up. "Wait, what are you doing with Stellar?" Meanwhile, Murrue was giving Kira an intrigued look.

"Can you help me get her off?" replied Kira. He made his way into the living room, and together with the help of Mu, they laid Stellar down the sofa. Kira didn't turn around to face Mu and Murrue who stood behind him as he continued to watch Stellar.

Finally, Murrue spoke up, "Kira what happened?"

"She's hurt," said Kira.

"Hm." said Mu as he looked down at Stellar, contemplating what could have happened to his favourite mobile suit pilot.

Just then Lacus returned to Kira's side with a box of medical supplies. "Kira how is she?" she asked.

"Lacus…bandages won't help her at all. She's not hurt on the outside, but the inside," said Kira. He knew he had to explain everything now that all eyes were on him. "Stellar actually bumped into me on the street. There was something off about her. It looked like she was crying, so I took her to the park for some ice cream. Next thing I knew, she fell asleep so I carried her back here."

* * *

Later that evening, Kira and Lacus were in the kitchen. Mu and Murrue had already returned to their sleeping quarters upstairs after making sure Stellar had enough blankets. They even put a cup of water on the table beside her in case she woke up at night. Mu had also retrieved the cylinder glass that kept a little fish inside. He had placed it on the table knowing that Stellar would enjoy seeing it again. During the whole time, Stellar hadn't woken up.

"Kira, what's on your mind?" asked Lacus. Holding a cup of water, she walked over to the kitchen table where he sat at, and pulled up a chair across from him. She could tell that something was bothering him, and it evoked her concern.

"Do you think we've forgotten about Stellar?" There was guilt in his voice, which didn't go unnoticed.

For a moment, it was silent as Lacus brought up her elbow and thought about it for a while.

"Well who did you stay in touch with after we met them at the Orb Memorial? And you can't say Cagalli, Athrun, nor anyone in the Archangel. Which only leaves you with Stellar, Shinn, Lunamaria, and Meyrin."

"No one," Kira said, his head lowered a bit.

"See it's not that we forgot about Stellar, we just went with our own ways after the war."

"I see…" said Kira, not entirely convinced at Lacus' reasoning. He paused for a bit. "Maybe if I had gotten to know them better including Stellar, Stellar wouldn't have had to cry. She could've told me instead of being frightened."

Lacus inwardly sighed with relief. There, there it was. She got it out of him, that was what he was unsure about and he finally let it out.

"Kira you're being too hard on yourself. You can't blame yourself for not doing everything." Lacus reached her hand over the table and softly grasped Kira's, causing him to look at her in surprise.

"I love you Kira, you know that right?" said Lacus. Cerulean eyes pleaded with lavender eyes. For a moment, Kira couldn't help but admire the beauty that sat in front of him. The way her soft, pink hair flowed down her body. The way her simple, light-pink t-shirt fit and accentuated her figure perfectly without being too tight or loose, only hanging a tiny bit loose at the neck to signify a casual manner. It gave her a simplistic modern look that was fashionable.

Kira quickly got out of his senses. "Lacus, of course I do." he said, tightening his grasp on her hand.

"Well in that case, I suggest we head to sleep now. We have a big day tomorrow." Seeing he was back to himself, Lacus got up and went to the kitchen sink to rinse her cup.

"Huh? What big day?" was the reply she got back. She quickly turned around to face him and put her hand at her hips.

"Kira Yamato!" said Lacus which caused his back to stiffen at her use of his name in that manner. She had a suspicious look on her face. "Did you forget to buy the food when you went out earlier?" Kira's face was filled with shock that could have rivaled Shinn's when Shinn found out he was the pilot of the Freedom. He had completely forgotten about the barbecue tomorrow! To celebrate the first day of summer, Lacus had decided to throw a party for the children, along with Athrun, Cagalli, plus the crew of the Archangel and the Eternal.

"That means you'll have to wake up early tomorrow," Lacus said suddenly while giggling slightly.

No way! On a Saturday? Oh it was on, thought Kira.

"I think someone just wants to get in bed with me sooner," Kira smirked. He looked at Lacus who despite her best efforts, blushed madly as carnal thoughts invaded her mind. _I'll get back at you for this Kira_, she shouted mentally.

* * *

Kira woke up the next morning. He looked at the clock that read 9:30 a.m. _Wait, 9:30 already? Lacus will have my head if I don't get going soon!_ He quickly got up and ran straight to the washroom. A few minutes later, he was out and quickly took a pair of jeans and a light sweater to change into. Running to the mirror, he eyed himself. Everything looked good except his hair which was a bit unsettled, but still decent looking. Deciding it was good enough, he rushed out the bedroom door downstairs. In his rush, he forgot the car keys since he usually walked but today was an emergency. So midway down the stairs, he ran back up and then back down moments later.

Unbeknownst to him, a door was slightly open at the other end of the hallway. Lacus had heard his rushed antics and saw him rush down and up the stairs with a smile. She couldn't help but laugh after seeing Kira run down the stairs a second time. She quietly closed the door and returned to bed. Her clock read _6:30 a.m_.

As Kira neared the end of the stairs, he couldn't believe his eyes. Stellar was up and awake! "Stellar?"

Stellar was playing around with the bottle. With curious eyes, she looked at how the fish swam back and forth freely in the water. When she dawdled around by moving the bottle in different directions, the fish's rhythm wasn't affected, which piqued her curiosity even more. But she suddenly stopped when she heard someone call her name.

Looking around, she saw Kira walking quickly towards her. Stellar thought that Kira really wanted to see her so it made her happy inside. "Kira!"

"Good morning Stellar. Sorry but I really need to get going." Kira said a bit rushed. He was just about to leave when her voice reached him.

"Does Kira not like to be with Stellar?" It was sad and innocent.

Kira quickly turned back to look at her. But when he caught her magenta eyes staring back at him, Stellar immediately looked down and away, as if afraid to face him.

"N-no Stellar I didn't mean it that way. Do you want to come along then? It's for a barbecue, but I forgot the food yesterday aha," said Kira a bit sheepishly as he remembered Lacus' reaction. For some reason by talking to Stellar, he found himself calm again compared to how rushed he was a while ago.

Stellar nodded quickly. But Kira found himself staring again. When she smiled, it was pure and cheery, and her eyes were almost closed. He had never seen something like that before. To think she was actually the pilot of the Destroy… He couldn't fathom the thought of taking away a life that was in fact her.

"Hello Kira? Kiraaa…" Stellar waved her hand in front of his face. She pouted when she didn't get any reaction from him. "Kira asked Stellar to come."

Regaining his composure, he quickly looked away before heading to the garage, which only caused Stellar to be even more intrigued as she followed him.

The drive to supermarket wasn't that eventful. On the occasional glances that he took at her, he only found her staring out the window. But there was nothing there except for the rough rocks that littered the coastline. Wait, why was the lighthouse still on? He quickly looked at the clock and couldn't believe his eyes, it read 7:00 a.m… How! His own clock in his bedroom, there was no mistake, he knew for sure that it displayed 9:30 when he woke up. Lacus! He had to admit, she had gotten him good.

His thoughts were confirmed when they arrived at the supermarket. Most of the people were the elderly and married and he _knew_ they were always the early birds on a weekend. Most of the young people, like him, would never wake up this early on a weekend. He noticed that as he and Stellar filled up their shopping cart, many elderly couples gave them an appreciative look and smile. Kira only knew their thoughts too well, that he and Stellar looked good together. It was the same look when he and Lacus went shopping. The thought didn't sit well with him. He was with Lacus still. He turned to Stellar a few times to try and read her expression, but it seemed as though she was oblivious to the stares. Not being able to do anything, he put his thoughts to the back of his mind.

It didn't take as long as expected with Stellar pushing the cart while he grabbed the food off the shelves, freezers, or from the meat section chef.

"Alright we have the sausages, hot dog and hamburger buns, steak, kebobs, watermelon salad, green salad, and corn. Do you think we missed anything?"

Stellar looked down at the shopping cart thoughtfully, then at him. "Drinks?"

"You're right on that one," replied Kira as he regarded her with a smile, which prompted Stellar to smile happily back at him.

They made their way to the drinks aisle, which wasn't as crowded. Two long shelves ran down each side of the aisle, each carried a wide assortment of beverages that one could ever want.

"Stellar you can pick the drinks. I already chose the food."

He watched as Stellar went ahead of him. Taking her place behind the cart, he slowly followed her. At first, he thought she wouldn't know what to choose. But her close scrutiny of the products on the shelves lead him to believe that she was indeed looking for something. His thought process stopped when she stopped in front of some drinks. _She prefers 7-Up, Coke, and Iced Tea?_ He mused at the thought. He didn't think that Extendeds actually had a favourite drink. Maybe they weren't as lifeless as he expected. But then again, he _had_ been proved wrong by Stellar's behaviour.

"So you like 7-Up, Coke, and Iced Tea?" he asked, as Stellar carefully put the packages the cart. He caught hold of her change in expression. It looked like she turned a bit sad after he asked her.

"Sting, Auel, Stellar."

"Sting? Auel?" he repeated after her. He wasn't sure what she meant.

"Stellar's teammates. Sting's favourite is 7-Up, Auel's is Pepsi, and Stellar's is Iced Tea." She said in a sadder than her regular tone.

It was then that he remembered the reports on Stellar that Mu had given the Archangel after the war. She had two teammates. One was killed in action while piloting a Destroy and the other was killed in action by the Impulse. He suddenly felt bad for bringing up her bad memories.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up."

"Kira doesn't have to say sorry…because Stellar is happy when she's with Kira." She flashed him another of her cheery smiles. It made him realize how volatile her behaviour was. One moment it was happy, then sad, and then back to happy. Although it was good to easily recover from unhappy thoughts, he knew that the volatile change wasn't healthy for the human psyche.

"Well I'm glad you think of me that way," Kira said as he ruffled her soft, blonde hair. "Alright let's go checkout." He looked at his watch and saw it was still early in the morning. He thought of how he could return the favour to Lacus.

They walked to the nearest checkout line that didn't have too many people ahead of them. That was until Kira noticed the people ahead of him had bought many products. He looked back and saw a huge lineup already. Giving a quiet sigh, he crossed his arms and leaned against the counter, closing his eyes. It would be a long wait indeed. Meanwhile, Stellar was bent down with her hands on her knees as she gazed over the candy bars on the checkout shelves with curious eyes. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Kira seemingly sleeping, so she ignored him and began taking various candy to look at more closely before putting them back.

Somewhere along the way, Kira opened one eye and saw Stellar's actions. _I wonder if she wants one. _He smiled. Uncrossing his arms, he turned and walked over to her. "Did you want one? You're free to pick whichever you want you know."

"Stellar hasn't tried this before. But Stellar would like this one." She took the candy named _Skittles Tropical_, and placed it in his hands. He noted how soft her touch was when she grasped his hand. _Yet she was an elite mobile suit pilot_, _with the sole purpose of killing coordinators_. But when he looked up, she had already gone back to explore the rest of the candy on the shelves.

The line finally shifted up, and the cashier started to scan their items.

"That'll be $150.23," said the cashier.

Kira almost bawled in surprise at the price, his eyes widening ever so slightly. Lacus never told him it would be that expensive. Score one for Lacus, again.

"Are you sure? That's double what I thought it would be," said Kira. He tried peering over to see the cashier's screen.

The cashier only gave him a look. "Look, even if I wanted to charge you extra, the system won't let me do it. It's made to prevent anyone from hacking into it. Boss says it's real tight."

_Any system can be hacked, _Kira thought. He knew too well of course. After all, he took part in creating the operating system for the exoskeletons back in Heliopolis. He suddenly had thoughts of hacking the system from inside the Freedom with its superior processing power. Casting his thoughts aside, he reached into his pockets but found nothing. W_ait a sec, this isn't good_. He turned to Stellar, but ended up bumping into her. He hadn't realized she had walked up close beside him all of a sudden. "Sorry Stellar. Uhh…I think I forgot my wallet."

Stellar giggled at his mistake. "Kira said he would buy it for me," she chided. Kira blushed at that comment. But her cheery mood brightened his spirit and he knew she was just playing with him, something that only friends did. _Well at least she considers me as a friend now._

Stellar handed the cashier the money and then turned to Kira with a gentle smile. Kira smiled back. Even though he had to wake up early, he was glad that Stellar came with him.

* * *

Author's Note

Alright I hope you enjoyed this chapter, but if you didn't then I'd like to hear your opinion. I'm always open to opinions.

FAQ

1. Why 7-Up for Sting, Pepsi for Auel, and Iced Tea for Stellar?

Answer: Sting has green hair, Auel has blue hair, and Stellar has yellow hair but wears a blue cerulean dress in GSD. Sorry if I went by hair colour, I couldn't think of anything else to go by :D

2. Why did Stellar choose Skittles Tropical?

Answer: Again, the light blue packaging fits her colour scheme well I think^^.

3. Why is Mu acting weird?

Answer: I'm writing Mu as though he hasn't recovered all his memories. That's why his personality is still like Neo's, which is quite blunt. But correct me if I'm wrong!


	4. Friends

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait everyone. I made this chapter longer to make up for it, so please enjoy! Please leave a review about whether you liked it or not.

**Chapter 4**

The drive back home to the orphanage was surprisingly more enjoyable than one would imagine. It was all due to the actions of a certain blonde, and how it made the brunet start to notice her unique behaviour.

It was a bright and clear sunny day today.

Kira found himself listening to Stellar merrily hum a tune while staring out the window. It was faint but definitely audible considering how she was sitting in the passenger seat. Thanks to his coordinator-enhanced abilities, he was able to pick up her tune and not interpret it as someone just making annoying sounds. Although she was facing away from him and towards the window at the moment, he was sure that had he looked, he would see a pleased expression. He was about to ask what tune she humming to, but curiosity got the better of him and so he decided to ask her after she had stopped. He was interested enough to hear all of it. Also, he didn't want to disturb the small moment of silence in comfort between him and said blonde.

Although he didn't have to wait long when Stellar suddenly turned to face him.

Kira was looking forward to having a conversation with her and so he couldn't help but feel glad when he realized that Stellar was going to ask him something. But she didn't say anything as she regarded him. Well any moment now, thought Kira. It wasn't long before Stellar turned away and stared out the window again but this time without her humming. It made Kira pout on the inside but he was interested in her now. Not romantically interested, but it made him realize that there was still a lot he didn't know about her. Understatement of the century, he barely knew her yet there was something about her that attracted him to her. He couldn't point out what the cause was, but it got him thinking about her. Oh how he wished that he was more socially adept like Athrun or Lacus, but nope he would have to take it the old-fashioned way and get to know her one step at a time, he figured.

That was the first thing Kira noticed about the drive that made it more enjoyable than usual. He decided to stop his thoughts for now to concentrate on his driving, and so his lavender eyes narrowed as his expression took on a more serious look as he stared down the road and shot the car straight ahead and into the tunnel underpass through the mountains.

Everything would have turned out normal if it were anyone else sitting in the passenger seat. But this was Stellar. Stellar Loussier, who was trained as an Extended and one of her unnatural abilities was to discern her opponents. Even in the child-like state that she was in now, although unknown to Kira because he thought she spoke in third person for fun, she was able to make use of that ability without realizing it. She had indeed caught on to his sudden change in expression without looking.

"Stellar wants to know why Kira is mad. Did Stellar do something wrong?" she asked childishly. Turning to him, her thoughts were confirmed when she saw his expression.

This caught him off guard, he wasn't expecting a question all of a sudden from her about being mad. "Wrong? What are you talking about, Stellar?"

"Well… Kira looks like Shinn when Shinn gets mad at Stellar." She gave a small but dangerously cute pout because it made Kira lose his focus on the road for a small second.

"I'm not mad at you, why would you…" he suddenly had a thought as to what made her ask that, so he softened his expression. "See? I'm not mad at all. I just get too serious when driving, that's all," he continued, "Is it better now?"

Stellar gave another patented smile. "Kira should be more happy, Kira looks better like that." Kira couldn't help but blush slightly at her comment. He wasn't used to outright compliments like that by someone other than Lacus. Seeing that Kira didn't say anything after that, she turned back and stared out the window again as the beautiful mountain landscape caught her attention. Soon, they would be arriving at the orphanage again.

* * *

Back at the orphanage, the children were loud and scrambling as they got themselves ready. Last week, Lacus had told them that they would be hosting a barbecue down at the beach. Being as excited as they could ever be upon hearing the news, they did not forget as the date got closer.

This was a private beach of course that was part of the land owned by the orphanage. The reason was that the back of the orphanage actually opened up to the beach. One could also say that the backyard of the orphanage was the beach. Past the thick foliage of trees, plants and bushes that surrounded the orphanage at the rear, there was a beach with an open barbecue grill.

Lacus was busy tending to the children's snacks in the kitchen so she hadn't realized when Kira got back.

All of sudden, she felt someone hug her from behind. She gave a short gasp but quickly settled in as her body told her it was Kira.

"Kira, how did your trip go?" she said trying to act innocent and holding down a smile.

Kira decided to play along. So he replied nonchalantly, "It went well, although I think my clock was running slow… three hours slow," he said the last part with emphasis and only hugged her tighter.

Lacus finally gave in and laughed before turning around to give him a hug of her own. "I hope you remember to get the food next time Mr. Forgetful."

She wasn't prepared when Kira suddenly gave small kiss on her lips, leaving her blushing. "Lacus, I love you."

The two of them were too caught up in their session when they realized that almost all the children had left except for a few who stayed behind. It didn't take long for the two to find them with Stellar. Not knowing where to place the food they bought, Stellar had gone into the living room instead. But she was trapped by the children who had taken interest in her. A few were pulling on her dress, hugging her bare legs, and even a few were trying to hold onto her hands and arms. Poor Stellar, she was still carrying the food when all this happened and could only look on in curiosity.

Kira couldn't help but lightly chuckle at the scene front of him. He had forgotten to introduce Stellar and now the blonde was on the receiving end of the consequences. On the other hand, while finding the scene amusing, Lacus knew she had to give a helping hand to the blonde.

Walking forward and placing her hands on her hips, Lacus stated sternly, "Children!"

That stern address was able to get full attention from the children, although they still clung onto Stellar. Even Stellar's full attention was on Lacus!

In a swift manner she shifted into a nicer tone that even surprised Kira. "That's no way to treat our guest here. Please let go."

Lacus would make a great politician, he thought.

However, the children were reluctant to move and ended up showing their displeasure by remaining still. It was a rare show of defiance that astonished both Kira and Lacus. Seeing the situation, Kira decided to step in and take things under control.

"This is Stellar, a good friend of ours. Stellar, these are the children who live here with us." He was careful to avoid saying the word 'orphan' in case it stirred up any unhappy feelings among them. This led to gasps and murmurs among the children as they took in the new information.

He continued, "You're staying for the barbecue right, Stellar?"

All eyes were on the blonde now, and the children looked up to her expectantly. Stellar couldn't help but feel a wide range of emotions sweep through her. She was surprised that even though she barely knew the children and they barely knew her, clearly they wanted her to stay. In the end, it was a curious wide-eyed Stellar who stared back at the children with her mouth agape in contemplation. In her mind, she wanted to be beside Kira, and she didn't want to let down the children. Realizing that she was accepted by everyone in the room, she did her best to keep the tears of joy from falling down. Gathering up her thoughts, she looked back up at Kira happily and replied, "Stellar really wants to stay."

The children gave a small cheer and resumed their antics around Stellar.

"It looks like they're really into you," said Kira with a smile. "Here, let me worry about the food and you can stay here with the children," he continued. Stellar just looked at him as he took the food from her, and with the last grocery bag with Kira, gave an inaudible "thanks" before her attention was back on the children. She was deeply captivated by their spirit, happiness, and excitement around her.

"Kira, let's go set things up," said Lacus.

With one last look around his shoulders before stepping outside, he saw Stellar sitting on the floor as she answered questions from the children, and tried to keep them from tugging on her too annoyingly for attention.

* * *

At the beach, Kira was busy setting up the barbecue stove while Lacus was setting up the tables and chairs.

"Does Stellar seem different to you?" asked Kira suddenly. Although it was more of a shout because the lapping ocean waters absorbed sound really well.

Lacus had just placed the table cloth and was flattening it against the table. Hearing Kira, she stopped and leaned against the table as she contemplated whether or not to tell Kira about Stellar's background. After a few seconds of thought, she decided against it. Mu had trusted her with this information when he joined the Archangel. The war was over, but the fact that there could still be spies out in the open made it too risky. "Not really. Why do you ask that?"

Anyone else would have accepted her words, but Kira knew she was outright lying. "You mean…"

Lacus nodded, which sent Kira the non-verbal expression that told him to save it for later.

The two then continued their work in comfortable silence. It wasn't long until Kira almost had the stove set up. All that was missing were the propane tanks.

"Lacus, I'll be right back," and he ran to the nearby supply cabin. His running was unstable and wobbly as his sandals kept partially slipping in the sand as he pushed his legs forward.

Moments later, he arrived to the door of the supply cabin. This was no ordinary supply cabin. Beneath the wooden exterior, it was actually reinforced with titanium alloy plates. Titanium was chosen because it was strong, but more importantly it was impervious to corrosion (including sea water, aqua regia, and chlorine). The door actually had no handle on it. Beside the door, there was a control panel integrated into the outside wall of the supply cabin.

Two security features had to be cleared in order to gain entry into the supply cabin. First was the hand scan.

He placed his hand on the smooth green pad of the control panel.

The control panel suddenly retracted into the wall. Seconds later, a standard QWERTY black keyboard popped out. It had a ZAFT insignia labelled on it, which was no surprise. After all, Terminal had designed this supply cabinet specifically for the orphanage in case they were ever attacked.

_Kira Yamato. Please enter your personal eleven-digit password to continue_. There was no computer voice, it was just a simple message on the LCD screen of the keyboard. It was another smart design. If they were in a hurry to the supply cabin and were being chased, the last thing they needed was for the computer's voice message to reveal their location.

After typing in the password, the keyboard retracted itself into the wall just as before. The door swiftly and silent slid open, and he walked in. Immediately afterwards, the door slammed shut which elicited a jump of surprise from the brunet.

He couldn't help but stare at the empty room he was in. Almost empty. There was a large metal box coated in metallic grey, just like the walls of the supply cabin he was in right now. Walking over to the box, he knew that the propane tanks were in there. He just had to get them out.

_I wonder how I did this last time, it's been a while_, he thought. On the countertop were five buttons. _Well, it doesn't hurt to try_.

Pressing the first one, the left side of the box slid open and a large rack of weapons came out. He sweatdropped, _I wasn't looking for this…_ Just out of curiosity, he walked over to take a look and noticed they were all standard issue ZAFT assault rifles. He then walked back to the control switches.

_I hope it's this one_, he thought as he pressed the second of five buttons.

Suddenly, the right side of the box slid open and a rack containing four propane tanks slid out. _Perfect!_

_Man these are heavy_, he thought as he dragged the two large propane tanks across the sand with each hand. Making his way back, he saw that Mu and Lacus were having a conversation of sorts. But they stopped when they saw him come over.

"Kira, I was wondering where the tanks were. You can't start a stove without one you know?"

"Sorry Mu, I forgot how heavy these were," Kira replied, indicating the two propane tanks in his hand.

"Don't sweat it kid, I'm impressed you were able to pull them so far on your own."

"Oh… it's nothing I can't handle," he replied nonchalantly.

"Well, I'm doing the cooking tonight, so just set them up here," said Mu matter of fact.

Kira caught Lacus staring at him suspiciously. Oh Kami what did he ever do to deserve this? He knew he would be in for it once Lacus found time to confront him.

* * *

In a matter of minutes Mu was cooking steaks and kabobs on the stove. Lacus was watching the children as they played in the sand. Meanwhile, Kira was sitting at the table and staring out into the sea. How the waves rolled back and forth as they glimmered in the sunlight, was truly beautiful. He was glad that he was out here in the day rather than during sundown or at night, because it allowed him to see the sea for the beauty it was.

He was caught up in the moment when suddenly a blur of children rushed past him with Lacus trailing behind. Turning his head, he saw Athrun and Cagalli making their way down the beach. Oh no, not Cagalli, he thought. Suddenly he had an idea. He quickly grabbed one of Lacus' magazines from the table, placed it on his head, and slid down the chair a bit. He hoped it would give the impression that he was sleeping. Deep down he wondered if Lacus' pranks were rubbing off on him.

"Kira?"

He knew that voice was Cagalli's. Opening one eye, he saw Cagalli's shoes from his peripheral vision. He pretended to stay asleep.

"Kira! WAKE UP YOU IDIOT, DON'T SLEEP ON ME!" she yelled right in his ear. Before he could react, she grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and shook him hard.

A surprised Kira shot straight up feigning sleepiness. "Hmm? What happened? Did you need something?" he asked.

"You haven't seen your sister for a long time and that's how you greet me? How dare you!"

Kira didn't say anything, but grabbed Cagalli in a hug gracefully. He blinked his eyes several times to go back to normal, replacing his fake sleepy look with one of true adoration as he really cared for his sister. "I missed you, Cagalli."

"Whaaa…" His actions took Cagalli by surprise. "I suppose I can forgive you," she responded. She was glad that Kira was still a warm person. She thought that he would fall into depression after the war, since only then would he have the time to reflect on his actions. But Athrun had carefully reassured her that Lacus would keep a careful watch on Kira, that Lacus knew how to deal with him.

Releasing her from the hug, he looked up at Athrun with a smile. "It's been a while, Athrun."

With Cagalli back at his side, Athrun replied, "How is it going with you and Lacus?"

"The usual, although she's gotten into pranks lately."

This made Athrun laugh. "She must be really into you then."

"Athrun, Cagalli it's good to see you again," said Lacus as she took her side beside Kira. She had just seated the children at the table and gave them snacks to keep them occupied.

The group continued to chat before moving to the table where the children ate. Kira and Lacus sat on one side of the table while Athrun and Cagalli sat on the other side. They talked about their plans for the future mainly and how they wanted to continue supporting the peace efforts.

Cagalli was now the leader of Orb with Kisaka promoted to one of her senior advisors. Meanwhile, Athrun was an Orb Special Forces Commander. His reputation in the Orb army was an elite mobile suit pilot, tactician, while also experienced in dealing with meddling politicians, a rare skill that was admired by many Orb soldiers. After all, Athrun wasn't just a soldier. With his father having held the position of PLANT Supreme Council Chairman, Cagalli being the Chief Representative of Orb during the Second Bloody Valentine War, Lacus exposing him to the radical ideals of his father, and having talked more than a few times with Lacus' father, he knew politics when he saw it and he also knew how to fight back in politics. With that, Orb's army was reassured that they wouldn't be manipulated ever again.

It was a perfect combination for Orb that had led to its steady growth after the Second Bloody Valentine War. The leader, Cagalli, was able to produce the correct set of ideals for Orb for prosperity. Meanwhile, her fiancé was a Special Forces Commander who was able to carry out her plans. The entire nation was supportive of their relationship.

Although Lacus wasn't involved in politics like her father was, she was still integral in playing a role to support the peace efforts. After all, she was the mediator between the PLANTs and the Earth Alliance. Most likely the only person in the world raised in a coordinator family but having humanitarian ideals, and also experienced to politics. She was perfect to serve as mediator, and it was successful. The PLANTs and the Earth Alliance had suspended all military operations in all theatres of war and were building towards peace instead. But her work wasn't finished there. She was still required to help solve the constant arguments between the two parties over matters such as national security, energy production, territorial boundaries, and food and water resources.

When it was Kira's turn to talk, he admitted that he wasn't doing much after the war besides staying at the orphanage. Although it seemed bad, everyone understood that even though he wasn't doing much now to support the peace effort, he had already put in a lot of effort during the war. The Freedom and the Strike Freedom were pivotal pieces of the war. If not for him, the world would be a lot different.

Their conversation was cut short when Mu suddenly yelled, "Dinner's ready!"

Watching Lacus quickly get up to lead the children to the steaming steaks and kabobs, Kira suddenly saw Murrue and Andrew Waltfeld followed closely by Meyrin and Stellar coming into the beach.

Murrue was talking with Andrew as they walked towards the dinner table, although they weren't holding hands. Meanwhile, Meyrin and Stellar seemed to be caught up in a conversation by themselves.

Kira loosened up when he saw Stellar talking amiably to Meyrin. The two might just get along, he thought. He felt happy for Stellar. Even though he didn't know much about her, he could tell that she had went through a lot in her past, and also something big a few days ago when he found her tearing on the streets. Whatever had happened in the past, he knew that it was a welcome sight to see Stellar the way she currently was. He was suddenly aware of his eyes tracking Stellar's every move, so he quickly focused his attention on someplace else. It wouldn't be good if Lacus caught him staring. Luckily, Lacus was still tending to the children.

He gave a wave to them as they stepped onto the beach. Surprisingly, all four of them waved back, including Stellar.

Soon enough, everyone was seated at the table with the exception of Stellar who was the last to get her food from the barbecue stove. Everyone was involved in a conversation with another. Kira with Athrun, Lacus with Cagalli and Meyrin, and Mu with Murrue and Mr. Waltfeld.

When Stellar walked towards the table with her plate of food, she could feel the stares of the people as they lessened their conversation and gazed at her. It wasn't a gaze of hostility, it was a gaze of curiosity. They had no problem with including Stellar in their group, but she was still new so while she walked towards the table, she got a couple of stares here and there from various people.

Stellar took this the wrong way and suddenly all the happiness inside vanished and all she could do was to keep her head down to avoid their stares. Her usually relaxed posture was replaced by one of hardness and anxiety. Her usual innocent look was replaced by sadness and fragility as she felt vulnerable because it seemed like they saw right through her. It pained inside her chest to know that there was nothing she could do at the moment. As a result, each step she took was smaller and gentler than the one before.

Kira felt bad right now. No, he felt horrible and disgusted at himself. _Don't you know what you guys are doing?_ He wanted to say that, but he didn't want to quickly spoil the party.

He was the one who had invited Stellar over but his friends saw her as an outsider. Deep inside, he criticized himself for forgetting to introduce Stellar to everyone. Shouldn't he have remembered after the incident with the children earlier in the day? He quickly looked at Meyrin to see how she felt. He could tell that she wanted to do something too, but was too nervous to act in the dense atmosphere that was now dominating.

He knew he had to defuse the situation quick. In a cheery voice he called out and waved, "Stellar, over here! I saved you a spot!"

Stellar immediately looked up at the familiar sound of the voice and brightened up when she saw it was Kira. She had a feeling it was Kira's, but she still wanted to see for herself. She somehow felt a surge of happiness flow from her heart, re-energizing her body from the core. With that, she rushed towards Kira and sat beside him so that Kira was now sitting beside Lacus and her.

There were now a few puzzled looks. When Stellar rushed to Kira, they couldn't keep track of her movements finely. _This girl…_ thought Mr. Waltfeld.

"Stellar has been staying with us for the past few days. I met her on the battlefield, and she can fight on the same level as me" he told everyone. This shocked everyone at the table except for Mu who knew how dangerous Stellar was on the battlefield. He looked back at Stellar who had stopped eating and was nervously avoiding the stares of everyone.

Cagalli was the first to speak out. "So Stellar, where are you from?"

Silence followed as everyone wanted to know the answer to that question.

"Stellar doesn't remember…"

Both Lacus and Kira sweatdropped anime-style at Stellar's response. But Lacus stepped in and quickly changed the subject of the conversation using her mediator skills.

Soon enough, Stellar was talking animatedly with everyone else as they asked her different questions. She would give thoughtful, short replies back. Kira didn't say much, but only looked on feeling proud of what he accomplished that day. What did he accomplish? He didn't really know, but if Stellar just made a whole new bunch of friends, he knew he had done something right.

* * *

"Alright let's play capture the flag, everyone!" yelled Cagalli. She directed her voice more to the guys since she was currently talking with the girls.

It was late into the night and all the children including Andrew, Mu, and Murrue had returned back to the orphanage. The only ones remaining were Kira, Athrun, Cagalli, Lacus, Meyrin, and Stellar. The girls were in their own conversation while Kira and Athrun were just about to doze off by just sitting there. The guys had long since run out of subjects to talk about.

Both Kira and Athrun jolted awake at Cagalli's shout.

Having got their attention, she continued. "This isn't your normal run of capture the flag. Here, take these." She gave each person a small strip of construction paper. The paper had a small hole at one end. Next, she handed each person a piece of string. "Alright, thread the string through the paper, and then tie it to your arm. "Like this," she continued, having done it quickly and now showed them how it should look. "Whoever steals the strips off everyone wins, simple as that!" she said, finishing her explanation.

"But it's not fair for us girls, the guys are obviously more athletic," voiced Meyrin.

"Who said you couldn't form teams?" replied Cagalli with a smirk.

Kira turned to Athrun and whispered, "You ready for this?"

"Always."

"Alright, you each have thirty seconds before the game starts," said Cagalli.

Immediately, Kira and Athrun huddled together. Likewise, the girls did the same.

"So what's the plan?" asked Kira.

"They have the advantage in numbers. So we have to split them up to give us a chance to get their strips of paper."

Kira already knew what he was thinking by that point. "So when they come for us, we'll split off and handle them separately. Each of us will get two."

"Exactly," replied Athrun.

"Start!" yelled Cagalli.

With that Kira and Athrun ran into the forest that separated the beach and the orphanage. The two waited there until they heard the girls getting closer and closer. Athrun finally gave the signal to Kira and both jumped out and ran in opposite directions, attempting to divide the girls.

It went as planned. Lacus and Meyrin ran after Kira while Cagalli and Stellar ran after Athrun.

Diving into a bush, Kira kept his body low on the ground. He didn't want to be risked seen by Lacus and Meyrin. When it seemed like they weren't anywhere near him, he gently popped his head up and saw Meyrin looking around the area. _I wonder where Lacus went_, he thought. He decided to lay low for a bit longer. He realized Meyrin wasn't going to find him, so he jumped into the clearing where Meyrin was walking around. He was right behind her, but he stealthily masked his footsteps as she walked around. Finally deciding he had enough, he gently tapped her on the shoulder and grabbed her paper strip.

"AHHHHHHHH!" shrieked Meyrin, jumping up in surprise.

Kira was down on the ground with his hand to his ears as he couldn't shoulder the sudden high-pitched scream. Finally getting up, he dusted himself off and placed her ribbon in his pocket. "Geez Meyrin, you didn't have to be so loud."

Meyrin suddenly turned to him. She still looked surprised. "Kira! Don't scare me like that," she reprimanded.

Kira gave a soft laugh before coming to his senses. "So where's Lacus? Wasn't she with you?" he asked gently.

"She was…" was the only reply he got back.

Feeling a sudden presence behind me, he jumped forward and spun around. "Lacus!"

"Oh Meyrin, if you had said something longer, I would've got him!" sighed Lacus. It was too late however as Lacus let her guard down at that moment and Kira swiped her paper strip, adding one more to his own.

"Kira!" snapped Lacus. "I wasn't ready!"

Without warning, he grasped her in a tight hug that lasted for more than a few seconds. He finally let go and gave her a short kiss on the lips. "Does that feel good?" he asked.

"Yes, but that doesn't…" but Kira had already turned around and left to search for the others. "Hey, I wasn't done!" she shouted for his attention.

"Sorry! I didn't know you wanted more!" Kira shouted back. He didn't look back either. But if he did, he would see Lacus blushing as madly as a tomato.

Meanwhile, Meyrin was watching all of this with a look of sadness. _So this is what it feels like…_ She looked up to the stars. _Will I ever have someone who truly cares for me?_

* * *

Kira was alone in the forest crawling underneath the bushes. Every now and then he heard the ocean waves lapping against the beach sand. Looking up, he saw it was a full moon that lightly illuminated the forest trees and leaves. Even the stars were out. Taking some time to admire the beauty of the night and forest he was in, he continued crawling. There was also the hoot of a night owl whose sounds reverberated across the forest. Suddenly, he heard some commotion from not too far. Quickly and silently, he abandoned his crawling position and stood up. Sharp, serious lavender eyes scanned the area where he thought he heard the noise. The commotion of shouts occurred again, and he was sure he had heard Cagalli's voice in it. Making up his mind, he ran forward to get a better view of the commotion.

He didn't get far when a blur of blonde suddenly filled his vision. The air suddenly left his lungs and his feet left the ground. He landed on his back with a thud moments later.

A distraught Kira struggled to get back up as he shouldered the strain in his chest. "Man, that really hurt," he said to no one in particular. His vision was blurred and it took him a while to reorient himself as he got back up. He blinked a few times but it didn't help as his vision was still blurred. _Oh no, this isn't good_, he thought to himself. He couldn't make out anything in detail, but he saw a person with blonde hair delicately lying not too far from him. _That can only be Stellar,_ he sighed.

With his vision impaired it took him a while to reach her. It wasn't exactly easy to walk straight when everything was out of focus, but he finally did.

"Stellar…"

There was no response. There wasn't even movement in the slightest bit. He was starting to feel a small worry inside of him.

"Stellar! Stellar!"

_Why now of all times! Kami, she survived the near total destruction of the Destroy. She can't die from…_

"Me," he whimpered the last word with the smallest of breaths.

He quickly knelt down and surveyed her condition. Lavender eyes worriedly flowed down her body from head to toe in silence. At the same time, he gently traced her arm and legs with his hands. He couldn't entirely trust his blurred vision at the moment. There wasn't any bleeding… Next, he felt for her pulse on her neck. He could feel her warmth from there, but her pulse was normal. _What the heck is going on!_ he yelled to himself.

Quietly, he put his head down in shame and thought what he could do next. He hadn't felt like this ever since… ever since the Providence shot the escape pod from the Dominion.

_"Kira…"_

_Who is it? Flay?_

He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his face.

"Kira."

"Stellar, you're awake!" He said with relief. Stellar nodded gently. He noted how soft her hand felt on his face, and he smiled. He could feel the sincerity behind her soft touch. Somehow, just somehow he enjoyed being in her presence. Yet, with those same hands she had killed many on and off the battlefield. Even so, he had promised that he would always watch over her. Because deep down inside, he knew she was delicate, playful, and enjoyed having fun. It actually reminded him of… himself.

"Stellar, I was worried about you." With both arms, he brought her up just enough so that he could hug her snugly. A few tears fell down his face and onto her shoulders. A few seconds passed but he still held on. It was partly because he didn't want Stellar to see his tears.

"Kira." That simple acknowledgement from her was enough for him already. He felt her hot breath across his neck when she said it. Then two feminine arms slowly reached slightly above and around his waist. She pushed herself closer to him and he felt the sudden warmth it brought.

"Stellar knows that Kira cares," she said knowingly and with a serene smile.


	5. Adventure

**Chapter 5 **

Stellar was busily cleaning her apartment. She lived on the seventh floor of a newly built apartment located in Orb's shopping district. She thought it was a decent place to live considering how she had spent most of her time in military bases. Truth be told, it was actually a decent apartment with a reasonable monthly rent. The floor space was small as it only contained one bedroom, kitchen, washroom, and living room. But new furniture was included and everything was furnished. Then again, this was no ordinary apartment. In an effort to speed up economic recovery after the war, Orb's government and leader Cagalli Yula Attha had introduced new policies that bridged the gap between the rich and the poor. As a result, an upscale apartment was offered to all of Orb's citizens at a significantly reduced price. Through a lottery system, many citizens had bought tickets to be entered into the draw. This system was a success for both the developers and citizens because it benefitted both parties. With a little help from Cagalli, Stellar was one of the many winners.

A week had passed since the outdoor barbecue was held last week at the orphanage. The hot, humid summer was still going strong in Orb, especially since Orb was located near the Earth's equator. Although the hottest day had just passed last week, the hot weather showed no signs of relenting. Weather stations had predicted that the weather would eventually cool down but that wasn't for until next week. It wasn't all that bad though. The good weather had encouraged many citizens to go outside instead of staying home. This resulted in many crowded shopping centres and cars that busily navigated using Orb's expressways to get from one part of the island to the next.

Sweeping the hardwood floor, rearranging chairs, and wiping tabletops, Stellar was doing her best to keep her living area clean. She wore a simple, light pink t-shirt and short, ragged jeans that were halfway from reaching her knees. Wide-eyed magenta eyes scrutinized the cleaning with much effort. With an exhale of effort, she wiped her forehead with her forearm, and then took a pause when she realized her t-shirt was stained. Giving a sigh, she continued cleaning. She sprayed a small area of the hardwood floor and wiped it with a white cleaning cloth. She had already used the sweeper to sweep the floor beforehand, and was now down to the details. But a sudden playing of music snapped her out of her thoughts. She quickly looked over and found her phone glowing blue every half second. Quickly putting things aside, she got up and ran to reach her phone.

She took a pause before swiping it off the desk and accepting the call. She still wasn't entirely familiar with the concept of holding something against her ear to take a call. That and she didn't want to accidentally drop it so that's why she used two hands. They never had devices like these back when she was a soldier of the Earth Forces. They had used small receivers that fit into the ear that were also capable of transmitting the user's voice. By using vibrations that oscillated from the windpipe, it was able to pick up words without requiring the opening and closing of the mouth. But she didn't mind because she often saw people talking animatedly on those devices which seemed fun. If something was fun, she liked it. She gently picked up the phone and cradled it against her ear with both hands

"H-Hello?" asked an innocent and hesitant Stellar. She wondered who would want to call her at this time of the day. A part of her wondered if it was Shinn, they hadn't talked since and now she felt there was a barrier between them. If it was Shinn, she wasn't sure how she would respond.

"_Hello, Stellar? Um… it's Meyrin,"_ said a feminine voice.

Stellar's worry faded once she heard the feminine voice come through the phone's speaker. In an instant, she recognized the voice and could barely contain her excitement. Rarely did she ever have someone call her who wasn't Shinn, but this person was someone she wanted to hear from again.

"Meyrin!" Stellar blurted excitedly, her insecurities swept away. She had forgotten that they had exchanged telephone numbers during the barbecue. Inside, she wondered what her red-haired friend could be calling about. She held her breath, waiting for the next words to come.

This caused Meyrin to giggle at the other end, which was noticed by Stellar who grew more anxious.

"_Do you want to go shopping with me later today?"_ asked Meyrin thoughtfully. She held the phone eagerly as she waited for an answer.

"What are we going to do there?" Stellar asked.

Not expecting a question like that, the young coordinator took a pause. Wasn't it obvious? After all, it was shopping. _"We're buying new clothes! Also, we'll give the new food court a try. I heard there's a really popular dessert place there."_

Stellar was interested now. "Okay Meyrin. What time do you want to meet?"

Meyrin picked up the subtle tone of excitement, and inwardly sighed in relief. "I'll meet you there for lunch so let's say about noon?" she asked earnestly.

"Alright, see you there Meyrin. Wait, where is it again?" Stellar questioned.

"_We'll meet outside Chocolate Factory."_

Disconnecting from the call, Stellar was elated. She had been bored ever since the barbecue at Kira's place. After that, no one had tried to contact her, and she didn't know if they wanted to hang out. She was glad to have exchanged numbers with Meyrin. In high spirits, she skipped back to the living room, at one point almost hitting her fish tank with the nudge of an errant elbow.

* * *

It was a bright, sunny afternoon with a slight gentle breeze in the air. Cars and trucks slowly passed by, creating an almost silent gust of wind to every pedestrian. It was an outdoor, pedestrian-friendly shopping mall. With narrow roads for cars and wide sidewalks that lined up the stores on each side of the road, this new style of shopping had been a hit in Orb's shopping district. It was also the largest shopping mall in Orb. Only the food court area was indoors to provide air conditioning in the hot, sweltering weather.

An impatient Stellar waited outside Chocolate Factory, leaning against the light, chocolate-coloured building. It wasn't actually a chocolate factory. It was a small store that sold chocolate delicacies, and you could also see them make the chocolate in real time. She had both hands in her pair of short jeans as she waited in a casual manner. _Where is Meyrin?_ She took out her phone and tapped it. _12:00_. Meyrin should be here by now. Stellar glanced left and right but there still wasn't any sign of her.

It was getting hot too, as the sun shone down on her. The building wasn't providing much cover from the sunlight.

Stellar suddenly heard a bell ring and quickly glanced in that direction hoping it was Meyrin. To her dismay, it was just someone who had left the Chocolate Factory. The door had a bell on top that chimed whenever it opened or closed.

She suddenly felt tempted to go inside the store instead of waiting outside as planned. It was getting hot. But she couldn't abandon her friend! Stellar was stuck between two choices. _No! Stellar won't! Stellar will stay! But it's really hot here…_ _But Meyrin might come anytime…_ she repeatedly mumbled to herself. She grumbled some weird sounds which caught the attention of those nearby. Luckily, Stellar was too concentrated on herself to notice the extra attention.

With another chime of the bell, curiosity took over and she pranced two steps to reach the door. Swinging it just wide enough, she stepped into the store and stopped.

The chef warmly smiled at her from behind the counter. "Welcome to Chocolate Factory."

"Thanks," said Stellar innocently which acted as a veil for her uncertainty. She wasn't used to the friendliness. She could tell the chef was an old lady with gray hair and lots of experience in making chocolate delicacies. There were two other assistants behind the counter who also wore a white, chef uniform.

She walked up to one of the counters and admired all that was displayed in there. There were many pieces of chocolate in different sizes and shapes. Some were only chocolate, while others were chocolate-coated delicacies. Shapes included spheres, cubes, rectangular prisms, triangular prisms, and animal forms. Some also had sprinkles on top in different colours.

Next, she eyed all the chocolates in the counter before going back and settling on staring intently and stubbornly at one. It was a cookie in the shape of a rabbit's head about palm size. Except that the ears were elongated to create a cuter look. The rabbit's head was coated in white chocolate and had its features such as eyes, mouth, and nose created in regular chocolate. The ears were outlined in pink chocolate.

At seeing Stellar's interest in one of her creations, the old lady chef who had for now kept her distance, moved over. "Child, that's a rabbit cookie. Would you like to have one?"

"How much is it?" Stellar asked. She hadn't moved her head to glance at the old lady.

The old lady smiled again. "It's free."

Stellar was confused, so she looked up quizzically which only amused the old lady.

The old lady explained slowly, "I haven't seen someone so genuinely interested in my baked cookies for a long time." She smiled warmly at Stellar, hoping that Stellar would accept it.

"Really?" The confused expression was replaced by childish delight in an instant. Stellar had caught the attention of everyone in the store who stared blankly at her, but it didn't faze her at all.

The old lady then promptly took out the cookie from the counter, and wrapped it with tissue paper before putting it in a small paper bag that read _Chocolate Factory_. "Here you go, please enjoy and come again."

Stellar took the paper bag with delighted magenta eyes. Suddenly remembering her manners, she abruptly said thanks to the old lady. It warmed the old lady's heart to see someone so innocent as Stellar. "Say, what is your name?" she asked respectfully.

"Stellar." It was a short and to the point reply. But the old lady could tell there was no sense of rudeness behind that short reply.

"Well Stellar, you are welcome here anytime." said the old lady.

"Thanks, I'll visit again!" replied Stellar enthusiastically with a smile of her own as she exited the store.

* * *

Stellar could feel that something about her had changed after that encounter. She felt lighter, livelier. More importantly, she felt more free and secure about herself. She wasn't sure what was happening, so she stored her thoughts at the back of her mind.

She walked two steps when suddenly a hand clasped her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Stellar!"

It was Meyrin. Meyrin quickly got in front of Stellar and apologized quickly, bowing her head more than a few times. "I'm sorry for being so late! I promise it won't happen again. I-It's just that I got caught up on the way here."

Stellar didn't want her friend to be sad, so she thought of something quickly. "That's alright Meyrin. I went inside the store to wait."

This surprised Meyrin. Not because of what Stellar did, but because she spoke differently. "Stellar? You… you changed." She couldn't remember a time when Stellar didn't use the third-person tense to speak.

Not catching on to her insinuation, Stellar didn't know what was going on. "Stellar what," she asked in a confused expression.

Meyrin sighed. "Never mind, it's nothing." But deep inside, she was excited for Stellar.

"Meyrin are you alright?" Stellar asked sympathetically.

"Yes, I'm fine. Let's go."

"So why was Meyrin late?"

Questions, questions, question. Stellar sure was a curious one, Meyrin thought. She wondered if she should tell her about what had caused her to be late. After a quick thought, she decided against it. Switching the subject, she asked, "Why don't we try the new ice cream shop in the food court? Oh no… I forgot my phone back home, I'll meet you there!" Meyrin ran off and left Stellar who didn't say anything but stared at the space where Meyrin held before.

* * *

"How can I help you?" asked the cashier.

Stellar thought for a bit, trying to remember what flavored she had ordered. She had hoped Meyrin would do the ordering for her, but Meyrin had ran off at the last minute. An irritated look grew on her face as she realized she had forgot. She looked at the menu above for a quick second before turning back to order. A smile gracing her features again.

"I'll have one strawberry vanilla ice cream on a single cone," said Stellar, who was feeling a bit happier today. She really couldn't wait until Meryin got back. The cashier nodded and took her order. Taking out the money, she handed it to the cashier and then proceeded to wait at the side. Stellar glanced at the time. She hoped her ice cream would come soon.

It wasn't long though for her ice cream to be scooped up.

"Here you go. Enjoy!" said an employee.

"Thanks," replied Stellar as she took her ice cream cone. She was glad the ice cream was fresh too because she could smell the mix of strawberry and vanilla. She quickly turned around, hoping Meyrin had returned and was somewhere in the crowd at the back. Except that she didn't know there were other people right behind her who had also ordered. Her ice cream was now crushed against someone's shirt on the front.

"Oh I'm so sorry!" she said frantically. She was about to turn around and grab some napkins when the person caught her attention.

"S-Stellar?" the person was just as surprised as her, but not as frantic. This caught her attention, she remembered she had heard that voice before. Looking up, she recognized the brown hair. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"K-Kira?"

Both just stared at each other for a split second without really knowing what to say. Kira, because his shirt was now ruined by ice cream and now the cold feeling he was getting was really distorting his senses. Stellar, because she had just ruined someone's shirt but it wasn't just anyone, it was Kira. Not only that, but more people were starting to stare at them both.

Feeling embarrassed and remembering that she was the one responsible, Stellar got out of her thoughts first. "Kira! Stellar didn't mean it, really!" She quickly turned around and grabbed some napkins. "Here let Stellar help." Before giving a chance for Kira to respond, she hastily started to wipe the ice cream off his shirt. A weird feeling stirred up inside of her as she wiped the ice cream off his shirt. She wondered why. But inside, she felt worse and worse as more people gathered around. It took a lot of concentration to not just break away from the situation.

Sensing her uncomfortable aura, Kira suddenly grabbed Stellar's wrist with his hand, who paused at his cool touch. She looked up to him to him with wide eyes and a small tint of red, not expecting his hand on hers.

"Stellar," said Kira hoping to get her to understand. She nodded and gave him the rest of the napkins. Kira already felt bad for her, not to mention that more people were starting to gather.

"Let's go someplace else for now," said Kira as he led her past the gathered crowd. Stellar didn't say anything as she accepted and went with him. She couldn't help but feel strange at his unfamiliar but now warm touch.

They finally made it all the way to the other side of the food court, and then Kira turned around, about to ask her if she was alright. When he saw Stellar looking down at his hand holding hers, he realized his mistake and quickly let go, blushing a bit. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to take your hand," said Kira sheepishly.

"Stellar is sorry for what happened," said Stellar who was now back to herself now that that they weren't the centre of attention. "There's a mark on your shirt too now that it dried," she pointed out.

"Oh right my shirt, I'll be right back," Kira had forgotten about his shirt and quickly ran to the washroom to try and clean it off. Stellar couldn't help but slightly giggle as she watched him go. Her eyes followed him until he was out of sight. Looking around briefly, she sat down at a nearby empty table to wait for him.

A few minutes later, Kira got out. Stellar waved at him, so he walked over and sat down across from her.

"I'm sorry Kira," she said, apologizing to him once more.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I've cleaned it off." Seeing her unease, he decided to change the subject of the conversation.

"So, what brings you here today?" It worked because Stellar seemed more at ease again.

"I'm going shopping with Meyrin." She thought she saw Kira's eyes widen for a second there. "Do you want to come along with us?" Having a third person would be more fun, she reasoned.

"Is that so?" he paused for a bit, "No thanks, shopping isn't really my type." He glanced away from her, as if something behind her had caught his attention.

Stellar looked at Kira suspiciously. She was almost certain he would agree because she saw his reaction when she mentioned shopping. "Well okay, if you say so…" she lingered off for a moment. She felt saddened that Kira wasn't coming along with her. She really wanted Kira to accompany her. But didn't she already have Meyrin going along? No, it wasn't the same as with Kira. She didn't know what happened next, but it seemed as if it came out of nowhere.

"Please, can Kira please come with Stellar?" she pleaded.

Although oblivious to her, her pleading had a large effect. Kira caught himself unexpectedly looking at her newfound expression. It was a side of her that he had never seen before. Her eyes had a pleading look that radiated sorrow and cuteness at the same time. Her lips were quivered closely as she held in her breath, awaiting his answer.

"Well…if it's not too long, I guess I can come along," the brunet said hesitantly. He knew far too well that any shopping activity always went over time.

"Thanks Kira!" Unexpectedly, an elated Stellar reached over the table, and before he knew, it, grabbed the brunet in a tight hug. It almost made him get up from his seat. Almost. A shy tint formed on his face, as he didn't know how to respond.

"What is going on here!" shouted Meyrin loudly. She had finally found Stellar after searching the at the ice cream store in the food court. Now that she had, Stellar had glomped onto Kira. "Is there something going on between you two?" she asked.

"Umm.. Stellar?" Kira tapped Stellar's shoulder a few times, hoping she would let go. But instead, she just turned her head to face him, and now they were staring right at each other just centimetres apart. Stellar smiled happily at Kira, which caused the brunet to blush even more.

Meyrin was feeling irked now. She felt that the other two weren't paying any attention to her. But she quickly thought of a good idea. "Hey Kira, I wonder what Lacus would do if I told her I saw you two like this," she said with a smile.

But Kira could feel Meyrin's inner-demon. Using his co-ordinator enhanced strength, he got Stellar off of him. "Sorry Meyrin, I didn't mean for that to happen," he said with embarrassment.

Meyrin gave a friendly smile, letting him know that she didn't mind at all. "I know, now can we please move on?"

The three went shopping for the rest of the day. It was an understatement. Mostly, it was Meyrin and Stellar who were together while Kira just trailed behind. He wasn't really interested in what they were discussing. He also wasn't interested in any of the stores that they went into. But what kept him there the whole time was Stellar. Although he wasn't closely walking with them, he would catch her glance every now and then which he usually responded with a casual wave or a nod. He knew that she wanted him to be there, and he would never forgive himself if he ever walked out.

A few hours later, an exhausted ultimate-coordinator sat down for a break. Why? It was because he had been carrying the stuffed shopping bags for many hours. Meanwhile, Meyrin and Stellar were doing some last minute shopping before the mall closed for the day. To save electricity, malls now had to close at 6:30 pm every day. There was a public outcry at first, but in time everyone had grown accustomed to it. Seeing that they weren't going to be back any time soon, he rested his head for a quick, shallow rest. That meant his Newtype senses were still active, allowing him to sense any hostile behaviour that included anyone attempting to steal the shopping bags.

He soon snapped out of his sleep when he felt someone tap his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Stellar and Meyrin. Both Stellar and Meyrin were sipping on their drinks, but Stellar had also bought one for Kira and now smiling, offered it to him with her free hand. Noting her generosity, he accepted and took the drink from her hands. "Thanks Stellar." Stellar nodded and took it as a sign that he liked the drink.

"I think we should head back now," said Kira, noticing the time on his watch. The girls agreed and they began to head for the exits. After fifteen minutes of walking and chatter, they finally reached the mall entrance.

"So does anyone have any plans for tonight?" Meyrin asked enthusiastically. She didn't want to part with her friends so early. Alright, it was 6:30 pm, but that was still too early for her.

"Well, I'm heading home," said Kira tiredly. Even Stellar was tired too, because she had trouble keeping her eyes open. "W-what did you say, Meyrin?" Stellar asked tiredly.

"Wow, you two get tired quite easily. I expected more from both of you, considering you both are extremely skilled as mobile suit pilots," Meyrin added. She was really surprised.

"Meyrin, you have so much energy maybe you're an even better pilot than either of us," said Kira sarcastically. Meyrin wondered where that came from. She had never known Kira to use sarcasm, or at least never see him use it. But she decided to respond positively, "Oh, don't be silly. I would never be able to pilot those heavy suits and their heavy weaponry." Meyrin wasn't a pilot, but she was knowledgeable and was experienced in the battlefield herself to know that piloting a mobile suit was an entirely different situation. She had learned that much from her sister and also during her time with the Minerva.

"Kira… do you think you could drive me home? There's no way I can bring home all that I bought today," Meyrin reasoned.

Kira gave a yawn. "Yeah sure, Meyrin."

Turning to the blonde, he asked, "Stellar do you need a ride too?" Stellar didn't say anything but nodded, too tired to even voice her thoughts.

In a matter of minutes, the three were together as Kira drove down the streets. Meyrin and Stellar were sitting at the back seats. Looking up at the rear-view mirror, he noticed that they were silently staring into the night sky with tired expressions. _So now Meyrin is tired, _he figured. "Meyrin, where do you live again?" he asked. Meyrin gave him the directions and soon Kira was on his way to Meyrin's home.

A short while later, they arrived in front of Meyrin's home. Her family had moved to Orb after the war. It was an ordinary home that was just large enough for a family of four. Kira noticed that the lights were still on, meaning that there were people inside. "Thanks for the drive, Kira."

"Not at all, don't forget your bags."

"Thanks, goodnight Kira, Stellar," said Meyrin. With that the door closed with a thud and Kira watched as Meyrin made her way up to her home. He could see the door open and what looked like Lunamaria poked her head out.

Kira sighed. It had been a long day. He just about to continue driving Stellar back home when he saw Meyrin's ring in her seat. It must have slipped from her hand as she exited the car.

"Stell, can you give Meyrin back her ring?" he asked tiredly. Not getting a reply back, he looked back and saw Stellar sleeping. Sighing again, he turned off the car and got off, rushing to the front door of Meyrin's home.

Kira rang the doorbell and was surprised when a man, who must have been Meyrin's father, answered the door.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the long wait but I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


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